The proposed Pax Silica industrial hub could generate as many as 900,000 direct and indirect jobs in artificial intelligence, semiconductors and advanced manufacturing, business leaders backing the project said Wednesday.
Ferdinand “Perry” Ferrer, president of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Roberto “Bobby” Alvarez Jr., president of the Philippines-Ease of Doing Business Foundation Inc., presented the business community’s plans for the initiative at the Kapihan sa Manila Hotel. The proposed Pax Silica industrial hub was highlighted by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in his 2026 State of the Nation Address.
Business leaders said the hub could create 150,000 direct technology, engineering and development roles, alongside 700,000 to 750,000 indirect and support jobs. The 1,600-hectare industrial zone, located next to New Clark City, is slated to house advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, robotics, digital infrastructure, data center equipment and digital logistics. Ferrer, who also serves as chairman and chief executive of EMS Components Assembly Inc., said that Singapore and the Philippines are the only ASEAN members participating in the initiative.
Proponents said the project is intended to shift the Philippines from lower-value electronics assembly toward higher-value manufacturing in AI and semiconductor supply chains.
“For the past decades, we, Filipinos, have only followed what is given to us in technology,” Ferrer said. “This is the only chance that the Philippines will be part, not a follower, but a part of a disruptive technology which we are all experiencing now, AI, AI technology.”
“Instead of benchwarmers, like basketball, we are in the first five,” Ferrer said.
To support the specialized workforce the project would require, business groups are coordinating with the Department of Education (DepEd), the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to train local talent for multigenerational careers rather than employment overseas.
“And our message here is they don’t need to leave the country to be able to practice, to be able to have a career, a high-paying career when it comes to technology,” Ferrer said.
“Rates will be competitive here in ASEAN compared to what is being paid in Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Vietnam,” he added. “That’s why we are advocating that we pay for skill here.”
For Filipino workers currently employed in electronics and semiconductor assembly – an industry that has long formed part of the country’s export base – the shift described by Ferrer would mean a move from routine assembly work toward higher-paying technical and engineering roles, contingent on the training pipeline business groups say they are building with DepEd, TESDA and CHED.
No timeline for groundbreaking, total project cost, or specific investor commitments was disclosed at the briefing.
